Chance device for bowling alley



March 22, 1966 J. A. POLK CHANCE DEVICE FOR. BOWLING ALLEY Filed May l8, 1964 wkowoy ON (JFF a %34 I 2/ INVENTOR. J0HNAP0L/1'.

United States Patent ()fitice 3,241,837 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 3,241,837 CHANCE DEVICE FOR BOWLING ALLEY John A. Polk, 415 OFarrell, San Francisco, Calif. Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,179 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-138) My present invention relates to games and more particularly to a system and apparatus in the form of a game of chance for use in promoting interest of patrons at a bowling alley.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a system and apparatus to be used as a game of chance for stimulating the interest of bowlers and others to participate in the activities of a bowling alley establishment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system and apparatus for use at bowling alley establishments in which only the used alleys during a particular game will be responsive to the game procedure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Spin-a-Bowl system for bowling alleys by which the proprietor with a chance determining wheel or other means that will indicate the winning alley of a number of alleys that may be participating in the game at any one time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a circuit completing means for a game of chance having a common contact-engaging member operating in cooperating relation with a number of spaced contacts at any one of which may be rendered inoperative with respect to other operative contacts from a remote point.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of a bowling alley installation,

FIGURE 2 is a showing of an operating means from which the game is controlled,

FIGURE 3 is a wiring diagram showing the circuit for the individual alleys as shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a view showing details of circuit controlling contact arrangement.

When installed at a bowling alley my game will provide an amusement feature that Will be enjoyed by both the bowlers and the spectators. In each and every bowling lane and above the pits, there will be an indicating number corresponding to the particular lane usually marked by a light, a buzzer, or a ringing bell. The above indicator will be connected through a panel board located at a control point. Also at this point and connected with these indicators there is a spinning wheel with circuit controlling contacts by which the winning lane indicator is controlled. If said bowling establishment has 30 bowling lanes, the panel board will consist of 30 numbered switches corresponding to the 30 numbered lanes. The panel board will also have a start and other switches, as will be later explained, to determine the playing of the game.

To start the Spin-a-Bowl game the operator will close a switch and start operation of the spinning wheel. The wheel during its revolutions will momentarily make contact from left to right with lane indicating contacts and continuing back and forth across the lanes. As each contact is made the indicating lights will flash on and off and/or a buzzer to buzz until the wheel comes to a stop. When the wheel stops spinning and the selected lane is therefore declared, the bright light will stay put and a ringing bell may also continue ringing until the control circuit is cut olf at the control board.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawing where in FIGURE 1, there is illustrated a portion of a bowling alley installation showing a plurality of lanes, designated by the numeral 10, having pin pits 11. In this showing the present-day automatic pin setters have been omitted for clarity. On the wall at the back of the pin pits of each alley 10, there is a light or other indicating means 12 that are adapted to become illuminated or energized to designate a particular alley as a winner to be determined by a spinning wheel or other chance controlled means. This spinning Wheel or pointer operates through electrical circuits that will cause the lights 12 to flash on and ofisuccessively across .the total number of alleys until the device comes to a stop or otherwise operates to limit the flashing of the indicating lamp or other means at a particular alley and thus indicate which one of the several alleys has been determined to be the winner for that particular running of the game.

-In order that the game may be supervised and/or controlled by the operator or proprietor of a bowling alley installation, my invention contemplates the provision of a control center 13, here shown as having a spinner 14 operating over a dial -15 with electrical contacts 16, each one of which will correspond with a particular alley.

In addition to the spinner 14 and the dial 15 with its electrical contacts 16, the control center 13 will be provided with a panel board 17 having a circuit controlling switches 18 that will be related to corresponding alleys. Also associated with these control switches 18, the panel board 17 will also carry corresponding indicating lights 19 that will inform the operator as to which of the alleys are not participating in any particular running of the game. To balance the spinner 14 and thus provide for a long spin, it is here shown as having a counter-balancing weight 20.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 3 of the drawing, wherein there is shown a wiring diagram by which the spinner 14 with its corresponding electrical contacts 16 may be controlled by the proprietor of an alley during running of a particular game. In this showing the numeral 21 indicates the primary of a power transformer that is connected to a conventional volt service outlet. In this primary circuit there is a fuse 22 and a switch 23 by which the running of the game is started and stopped. Associated with the primary 21 there is a secondary winding 24 that will provide a low voltage control circuit having a plus conductor or bus 25 to which one side of each of the indicators control circuits are connected and also a negative or grounded bus 26. Extending from the positive conductor 25 and through a control switch 18 for each of the alleys there is an indicating lamp 12 that is also related to each alley connected at its other side to one of the contacts 14 of the spinner dial 15 and to complete this circuit, stationary contact 16 of the spinner dial is grounded or connected to the negative conductor 26.

With the above connections it will seem that when the upper contacts of the switch 18 is in its closed position as shown in the upper two alleys of the control circuits, the indicating lamps 12 will be flashed each time the spinner 14 makes contact with one or the other of contacts 16. At this point it will be also noted that the control switches 18 have a second or lower contact 29 that is adapted when the upper contact circuit is opened to close an indicating circuit 30 and a relay circuit 31 when the switch 18 is in its cit position. As indicated in this diagram and as related here only to the number three alley with the switch 18 in its off position, a corresponding indicating lamp 19 at the control center 13 will be energized. This will indicate that the particular alley is not included in the particular spin of the spinner 14. At the same time, a relay 32 in the circuit 31 will be also energized. This relay or magnet coil 32, as will be hereinafter described, will function in a novel manner to render the chance device or spinner 14 inoperative whenever any one or more of the alleys have been disconnected by an operation of a corresponding one of the switches 18 to its off position at the control center 13. As an additional feature, and as applied to alley number three, this diagram also shows a control conductor 33 having a light or buzzer 34 that is related to each of the alleys by which the operator of the game may by means of a switch 35, arbitrarily establish the indication of a Winning at any one of the alleys at any time independently of the spinner 14.

In FIGURE 4 of the drawing there is shown a novel arrangement by which the relay coil 32 will operate to render any one of the contacts 16 inoperative during an operation of the spinner 14 during the period covered in a particular game. As here shown each of the contacts 16 have a rearwardly projecting magnetic armature 36 which, when attracted by energization of the relay coil 32, will cause the contact 16 to be withdrawn and out of cooperating alignment with the remaining contacts 16 of the dial 15 and be thus rendered inoperative when any one of the lower contacts 29 of the circuit controlling switches 18 is in its closed circuit position. The contacts 16 as here shown as having a collar 37 which is connected to the circuit of the alley indicators 12 and operating against this collar 37 there is a compression spring 38 that will operate to normally maintain the contact 16 in an operative position with respect to the spinner 14.

It is believed that the operation of my invention will be clearly understood from the above and while I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific device and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an amusement game for bowling alleys, the combination of a plurality of bowling lanes each having a signal supporting panel over its pin pit, a winner indicating signal upon each of said panels, a chance determining spinner means for operating said indicating signals in recurring succession on all lanes until stopped to determine a winning lane, electrical circuits between said chance determining spinner and said indicating signals, said chance determining spinner means being adapted and arranged to operate through said electrical circuits as controlled from a central point to designate a particular alley as a winner, and means for rendering said spinner means inoperative as to any particular alley when not participating in the game during a particular operation of said spinner.

2. In a game of the character described employing a plurality of electrically controlled signals operating through a circuit controlling spinner, the combination of a plurality of bowling lanes each having a winner indicating signal, a panel having a plurality of terminals arranged in equally spaced relation and each connected to one of said winner signals, contact engaging means operating to successively complete a circuit through said contacts in a recurring manner until stopped upon a particular contact to indicate a winner upon each operation of said contact engaging means, a control circuit completed through said last means and each of said contacts having a two-position switch which in one position will energize the signal device circuit for each lane, and a magnetic relay means responsive to said control switch when in its other position, adapted and arranged to render a corresponding contact upon said panel inoperative with respect to said contact engaging means.

3. In a game of the character described employing a plurality of bowling alleys with electrically controlled winner indicating signals and a manually operated circuit controlling spinner, the combination of a plurality of bowling lanes each having a winner indicating signal located over its pin pit, a control panel at a remote point having a plurality of contact forming terminals arranged in equally spaced relation each of which is connected to a different one of said winner indicating signals, a terminal engaging spinner means operating to successively complete a circuit through said terminals in a recurring manner until stopped upon a particular terminal to indicate a bowling lane a winner, a control circuit completed through said spinner means and each of said terminals having a two-position switch which in one position will energize a winner indicating signal for each lane, and a relay responsive to said switch when in its other position adapted and arranged to render a corresponding terminal contact upon said panel inoperative with respect to said terminal engaging spinner means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,590,444 3/1952 Millman et al 27343 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN AMUSEMENT GAME FOR BOWLING ALLEYS, THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF BOWLING LANES EACH HAVING A SIGNAL SUPPORTING PANEL OVER ITS PIN PIT, A WINNER INDICATING SIGNAL UPON EACH OF SAID PANELS, A CHANCE DETERMINING SPINNER MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID INDICATING SIGNALS IN RECURRING SUCCESSION ON ALL LANES UNTIL STOPPED TO DETERMINE A WINNING LANE, ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS BETWEEN SAID CHANCE DETERMING SPINNER AND SAID INDICATING SIGNALS, SAID CHANCE DETERMINING SPINNER MEANS BEING ADAPTED AND ARRANGED TO OPERATE THROUGH SAID ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS AS CONTROLLED FROM A CENTRAL POINT TO DESIGNATE A PARTICULAR ALLEY AS A WINNER, AND MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID SPINNER MEANS INOPERATIVE AS TO ANY PARTICULAR ALLEY WHEN NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE GAME DURING A PARTICULAR OPERATION OF SAID SPINNER. 